Unintended Consequences
by MaiFiction
Summary: Maka is badgered by a persistent suitor, causing Soul to step in to protect her and resulting in an unexpected fake relationship. Will Soul and Maka be able to keep their secret feelings from each other?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Fanfiction ever, so please be gentle to this n00b. However, I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism offered. Thank you and enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER - I do not own Soul Eater or these characters.**

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Maka looked down at her pained feet and huffed in frustration, the puff of air disturbing her bangs. She was standing in the Shibusen banquet hall wrapped in a tight black dress that felt oddly like wearing spanx, and a pair of uncomfortable heels. Around her, the room pulsed, music causing the floor to vibrate under her in a forceful, urgent manner.

She looked up to find Tsubaki, discovering her friend was dancing with Black Star about 20 feet away and had lost all manner of interest in Maka. Tsubaki had dragged Maka here after bribing Liz into stuffing her into this uncomfortable outfit. Maka had been perfectly content sitting on her couch reading her latest library conquest. Sighing loudly and dropping her head in defeat, she thought impatiently of the delectable book awaiting her on the end table. Why did Tsubaki go through the trouble of bringing her here only to ditch her for Black Star 20 minutes later?

"Maka!" an annoying male voice called from somewhere off to her left. Looking up, she was met with a pair of blue eyes and a mass of blonde, carefully constructed bed head. It was Dylan, the semi-stalker senpai she had met in the library only a week prior. Since then, he had approached her every chance he had, interrupting her reading and flirtatiously dropping hints about his interest in her. It was exceedingly unwelcome and mildly creepy, but she had yet to find a method of deterring him effectively.

"Hi…" she trailed off, turning to walk towards the exit. Dylan's arm darted out swiftly and caught her wrist, pulling Maka into his chest roughly.

"Wait, don't go. Dance with me," he said urgently, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist.

She struggled against his hold angrily, "Let go of me, Dylan!"

"What do you think you're doing?" a familiar, irritated voice asked, making Maka's heart skip a beat.

"Soul," she exclaimed helplessly, giving him a pleading look.

"Who are you!?" demanded Dylan, pulling Maka closer.

"He's my par…"

"I'm her BOYFRIEND, and you better unhand my GIRLFRIEND before things get VERY ugly," he replied forcefully, waggling a scythe-shaped arm for effect.

Dylan dropped his arms in surprise and immediately stalked off angrily, grumbling something vaguely like, "…she never mentioned a boyfriend…"

Maka looked at Soul, shock written all over her face. "Why would you tell him that!?"

Soul shrugged noncommittally, "It made him leave. You should be thanking me. Besides… does it really matter if he thinks we're together?"

"Argh!" Maka huffed, throwing her arms up with frustration. "I don't want to discuss this here. Please take me home," she responded, turning on her heel indignantly and moving towards the door.

Soul looked down and scuffed his feet against the floor, thrusting the disappointment down and forcing a neutral expression before following after his meister.

When he arrived at his motorcycle, he discovered Maka had already removed her shoes and stashed them away. She was straddling the motorcycle, her long legs appearing to extend for miles while her tight dress rode up in ways that made his heart pound and his palms sweat. "Damn," he thought to himself.

Soul had been in love with his meister for as long as he could remember, but in the last 2 years it had become increasingly difficult to ignore his urgent teenage hormones and her exceedingly hot body. _'I need to keep control over myself, keep it platonic,'_ his mind badgered him. If he let slip his longing for her, things would never be the same. Her fear of relationships was so strong, she may even leave him over something like this.

"Hurry up!" she called impatiently, startling Soul out of his reverie.

"Maka, you're going to flash the world," he complained in response as he walked up, removed his jacket, and draped it gently over her legs, effectively covering the show.

Maka blushed, his concern for her causing her chest to tighten as Soul hopped onto the bike in front of her and started it. She wrapped her arms around him securely, secretly pleased at being able to hold him so close to her body. This was the highlight of her day, the few moments she could actually cling to him without it implying anything else.

Maka's love for Soul seemed to grow by the day, no matter how controlled and calculated she behaved. It was a constant struggle, forcing down feelings she knew he couldn't accept. He wanted to know why it upset her so much when he called her his girlfriend? Well that was simple, it was a reality she so desperately yearned for that she couldn't have. Why did she torture herself like this?

Maka's blush deepened, the frustration causing her to bury her face into Soul's back and take comfort from his warmth. Much sooner than she would have liked, the bike began to slow and finally came to a full stop in front of their apartment.

Maka didn't let go immediately; the feeling of her body pressed flush against his back making Soul's slacks tighten uncomfortably. "Maka… we're here…" he said tightly, struggling to maintain the calmness of his voice. She released him instantly, leaning back and stepping off the bike. The loss of her warmth caused both relief and disappointment to wash through him; the contradiction that was his daily life.

Soul looked down at the controls, not ready to move yet. "Maka… who was that guy?"

"Ahh… Dylan? He's some guy that's been flirting with me every day in the library for the past week. I haven't been able to deter him. I don't really appreciate your methods, but I think telling him you were my boyfriend was the most effective deterrent yet," she responded matter-of-factly.

"Oh? Perhaps I should escort you to the library and continue to pretend to be your boyfriend there…" he asked tentatively, hoping to god she didn't hear the tremor in his voice. "You know, to ensure he's got the idea and leaves you alone."

Maka sighed exasperatedly, turned, and started to walk towards the apartment. _'What am I going to do?'_ she thought to herself. _'Dylan has been a nuisance, and I haven't been able to study at all. But… Soul pretending to be my boyfriend? This could be the only chance I have to be with him in some semblance. Is it worth the pain when we stop pretending? Is it even worth the pain of pretending in the first place?'_

She fought with her internal monologue the entire way up to the apartment, all through a shower, removing her makeup, and changing, until she finally reached a decision. Walking into the living room, she found Soul sprawled across the couch dejectedly, his internal monologue having spent the better part of the last 30 minutes berating his stupidity.

She stopped in front of him and waited patiently. Soul removed the arm that had been covering his eyes and looked up. Maka was standing before him, her hair still dripping from the shower, in only a t-shirt. The sight caused his breath to hitch, the image of his hand running up those long legs, ghosting under her shirt towards more forbidden lands flashing before his eyes vividly…

"Soul!" Maka shouted, chopping him with a book that had been sitting nearby. "You weren't even listening!"

"Uhhh…" he responded gracelessly.

"I said yes, baaaka."

Soul continued to stare at her, confusion etched all over his face.

"To your proposal… about Dylan…" she mumbled, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Oh, right, yea," he said, finally catching on. "I'll come to the library with you then. It's a 'date,'" he said, air quotes included.

Maka nodded almost imperceptibly, then took her book and stomped off to her room. Groaning loudly, Soul returned to his position of utter dejection and continued to berate himself internally. How could he have suggested something so stupid? There was no way he was going to keep his feelings for her a secret now.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Soul found himself standing in the last place he wanted to be on a Sunday afternoon: the Shibusen Library. He stumbled up the stairs grumpily after Maka as she guided him into the depths of the library toward her favorite secluded spot for studying. Plopping into the nearest chair, Soul laid his head on the desk and proceeded to nap while Maka opened her books and started studying.

An hour or so later, Maka had completed her homework and was ready for something more interesting to review. Standing, she walked into the stacks, looking for the section on Soul Resonance. Browsing along the bookshelves, it was so easy to get lost in the world of words and knowledge. There were so many books she wanted to read!

After wandering through several aisles, Maka finally stopped, finding the book she wanted on the top shelf. Reaching up, her fingers just barely brushed the spine of the book. Suddenly, a warm body pushed up against her, grabbed the book, and held it out to her.

Heart pounding, Maka turned, sending a secret wish to heaven to be met by white hair and ruby eyes. "Oh," Maka huffed, face immediately falling into a scowl; it was Dylan.

"Hey," he smiled broadly, arrogance flashing in his eyes. "I was hoping I might find you here."

"Mmmm," Maka responded, snatching the book and shuffling back in an attempt to find an escape route. Dylan moved forward, pushing her further into the bookshelf and blocking off any exits.

"Don't go, Maka," he purred, wrapping an arm around the back of her waist.

"Maka Chop!" she exclaimed, slamming her book into the offending boy's cranium and using his moment of confusion to slip to the other side of his arm.

"Aw, come on Maka, I just want to talk," Dylan called, traipsing after her while trying to grab the bottom of her shirt or hand. His longer legs caught up to her quickly, and he was able to pull her back facing him with a tug.

"Dylan!" she hollered, barely keeping her voice below a shout, it was the library after all.

"Just five minutes of your time?" he asked shyly, splaying his hand out to show five fingers in an innocent manner. "Please? I'll be nice."

"Fine," she replied, fuming visibly and shaking with frustration.

Dylan suddenly looked down, looking slightly uncomfortable and scuffing his shoe. "Well…"


	3. Chapter 3

Soul awoke with a start. Looking up, he noticed the seat opposite him was empty; his meister was missing. Soul stood, giving his stiff arms and legs a good stretch, then wandered into the stacks to look for Maka. That girl could find trouble anywhere; it was probably best to go to her instead of wait.

He had been wandering the aisles for several minutes, when he heard Maka shout, "Dylan!" in her loudest library-allowable voice. "Shit," Soul intoned, taking off at a light jog towards the noise, only a few aisles down. When Soul entered the aisle, he saw Dylan staring at his feet, holding onto Maka's arm to keep her in place.

Walking up quietly behind them, Soul wrapped his arms around Maka tightly and pulled her against his chest, eliciting a squeak from the petite girl. "What are you doing to my girlfriend!?" Soul intoned darkly, flashing his sharky purely whites aggressively.

"Ah!" Dylan dropped Maka's arm and backed away, arms up in a frightened manner. "Nothing, sorry," he replied, then disappeared into the next aisle.

Relaxing at Dylan's exit, Maka leaned back into Soul, the warmth of his body pressed against hers causing her stomach to flip and her heart to stutter. This is what she had been wishing for minutes before, but Soul was just acting. _'It's not real,'_ she thought to herself.

"Thanks," she whispered, sighing heavily. "You can let go now…"

Soul dropped her like he'd been burned, quickly putting space between the two and leaning nonchalantly against a shelf. "Any time," he mumbled, looking down, his limbs tingling everywhere from the warmth she'd suffused them with. Gulping unsteadily, Soul turned and began to walk back to their table, "Come on, you still have studying to do."

"Yea…" Maka reached forward at the sudden loss of his presence and warmth, grabbing for his hand without thinking about it. Her hand slipped comfortably into his, their fingertips naturally melding together. Surprised at her own boldness, Maka forced a casual, neutral facial expression.

Feeling unbalanced at this sudden development, Soul looked down at their entwined fingers, and gripped her hand firmly before she had a chance to pull away. Hope welled up in his chest, swooping in like a phoenix and making his insides do back flips. Maka never held his hand unless they were in serious danger… could this mean…

"To keep Dylan away… you know, just in case," she shrugged carelessly, walking on with his hand in hers.

Soul felt his phoenix of hope fall out of the sky and tumble back to Earth, crashing and burning like Icarus who flew too close to the sun. Forcing a bored expression, Soul nodded, plopped into the seat directly next to her, and promptly pretended to fall asleep while his inner beast berated him for being naïve. At least, he could enjoy the warmth and softness of her hand for now; he would probably never get another chance like this again.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Monday afternoon, and Soul and Maka were sitting by the fountain on campus during their free period. As usual, Maka's face was buried in a book while Soul bobbed his head to whatever band he was currently in to.

Staring across the courtyard absentmindedly, Soul spotted a shock of blonde hair bobbing behind a nearby bush. Dylan was spying on them. Soul smirked and popped the earbuds out of his ears, leaning closely into Maka.

"Don't look, but Dylan is watching us," he whispered against her ear, the small hairs on her neck stirring pleasantly from the disturbed air. "Laugh when I tell you to."

Maka shivered, nodding, as an electric buzz ran from her ear, down her spine, and into her core.

"Laugh."

Maka burst into laughter immediately, her head rocking back in a surprisingly convincing, flirtatious giggle. "Stop," she mumbled, continuing to giggle and slapping her partner's chest playfully.

Turning into Soul, a hand firmly against his chest, Maka pressed her quivering lips close to his ear, "Don't move." Then she brushed her lips within a millimeter of Soul's cheek in an extremely convincing fake kiss and smiled broadly up at him.

Heart pounding, Soul gulped; her flirtatious smile causing his inner beast to rip free of his careful controls. Reaching up, he brushed a thumb across her cheek, entranced by her eyes and breathing in her scent.

"Maka…" he exhaled softly, the words barely making a sound as they puffed against her face. Maka's eyes grew wide as Soul's thumb ran a distracting circle around her left cheekbone. "A…" she stumbled, trying to voice something, anything in response.

"Soul! Maka!" called a familiar voice, followed by Black Star trotting across the courtyard towards them, arms windmilling obnoxiously. Soul and Maka jumped, putting a good two feet between themselves, and immediately resumed their original activities.

 _'Well that was close,'_ Soul thought darkly, _'Saved by the Star…'_ Exhaling loudly, Soul jumped up and trotted away from Maka deliberately. He needed space, and to get that space he would be joining Black Star in whatever crazy plan he had for the afternoon.

Disappointed, Maka buried her burning face into the spine of her book. "Acting. It's only acting," she mumbled to herself with displeasure. Huffing loudly, Maka refocused on her book and forced Soul to leave her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

A week of quiet. They had had a week of carefully planned hugs, hand holding, and flirting in key parts of the school campus. An entire week Dylan had not come to bother Maka; and at the end of this week, they had agreed to stop the ruse.

Soul dropped his head discontentedly against the library table. Maka sat next to him, nose buried in a book, hand cradled in his own. Looking up at her, she seemed perfectly relaxed and composed; meanwhile, Soul was plagued with inner torment.

The last week had been amazing for him. Every day, there was an excuse to hug her, be near her, follow her like the sick puppy he was rapidly descending into knowing this would end all too soon. He was tuned in to her every breath, her every move, with a frightening precision.

He wasn't sure he could go on living once they went back to being 'just friends'. This entire experience had shown him what he was missing, made it impossible to maintain the perfect self-control required to live in the same house as the woman he loved without notifying her of those feelings. He had already slipped up once.

Soul sighed audibly, trying to hide a groan against the wood grain below him.

"What's wrong?" Maka asked, peering over her book, concerned. Soul shrugged, but didn't move otherwise. "You don't look so well." She leaned forward and pressed a cool hand against his forehead, her breath puffing lightly across his cheeks from the proximity.

Soul threw his characteristic smirk, "I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle."

Shrugging, Maka returned to her reading. As she looked away, Soul's expression dropped once again into the midst of despair. _'Who am I kidding, I never had a chance,'_ he thought glumly.

"Maka!" called an all too familiar voice as an agitated Dylan came bounding up to the table.

Soul looked up, glaring at the unexpected intrusion.

"I've asked all around the school and you and Soul are definitely not dating! Why would you lie!? I'm charming…" Dylan exploded with exasperation.

"To hell we aren't, we just don't tell our business to other people," Soul responded, anger bubbling up and causing his words to hiss with threatening menace.

"I wasn't talking to you," responded Dylan, barely offering Soul a glance. "Maka, go out with me, you'll fall for me by the end of our first date. Just give me a chance!"

Maka opened her mouth to respond with a resounding no, but was suddenly silenced by the press of Soul's cool, soft lips against her own. Shocked and paralyzed, she sputtered uncontrollably.

"See! That proves it, now go away Dylan," Soul shouted over her head, face red from both embarrassment and anger.

 _BAM!_

Soul heard the impact before he felt it, the sting radiating out rapidly from a single spot into a piercing, red-hot burn all across his left cheek. Dylan completely forgotten, he looked down to see Maka's face bright red, looking at the ground, tears brimming in her eyes. She shoved him, the table, everything away, stood, and sprinted out of the room before he had a chance to react.

Standing, Soul dashed past a gaping Dylan to chase after her, the knowledge that he crossed a distinct boundary causing fear to tighten in his chest. Maka is fast and had a head start on him, so it took him a few blocks to finally catch up. When he finally did manage to grab her hand and spin her around into his arms, they were alone in the park down the street from the school.

Tears were streaming down Maka's face uncontrollably, and he tried his best to gently wipe them away. "Maka, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"You didn't mean what!" she shouted, "To take my first kiss!? In a public place no less! Or to kiss me at all!?"

"I…" he stuttered gracelessly, dropping his hands from her face and looking down.

"I knew this was a bad idea. Who would believe that the BRILLIANT Soul would be with plain, flat-chested me anyways," she blubbered, tears continuing to run down her cheeks unabated. She had wanted to believe the last week had been real, had wanted to believe it so badly that she began to play the role without thinking about it.

Soul looked taken aback at her outburst and pulled her into his chest to wrap his arms tightly around her. "What makes you say that? Your beautiful Maka, any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Just not you," she choked through his shirt, sobs redoubling with the effort.

Shocked by her comment, Soul pulled her back from his chest and looked into her eyes, looked into the pain clearly shining through and staring back at him. Could it be… could he hope? Well, there was only one way to know.

Gently wiping her tears away, he responded, "INCLUDING me, Maka." Her eyes brightened a little, hope lighting their emerald depths on fire. Soul took a deep breath, preparing for the plunge, "Maka, I…" he paused, licked his lips uncomfortably, and tried a different tact. "Maka, will…" Soul trailed off again, unable to complete the thought. Nothing he said could quite get across what he was feeling.

Growling with frustration, Soul yanked Maka towards him, pouring every bit of frustration, desire, and wonder into their locked lips. He relished the feel, the smell of her against him, as his stomach did back flips in rapid succession.

Maka's tears stopped just as abruptly as they had started, her attention refocused on Soul's lips moving against hers. They were insistent, purposeful. This is what she had been dreaming about, and the real thing was infinitely better.

Finally responding, Maka wove her fingers into Soul's hair and melted into the kiss. At first, she was complete putty, following his lead and allowing him to explore her mouth. Then, she took control, turning Soul into mush with her tongue. Gasping, they broke apart.

Soul smiled down at her broadly, his shark teeth glinting in the sun light dangerously. "It's about time you figured out how awesome I am," he smirked arrogantly, wrapping an arm around Maka's back. Maka snorted in response and smacked him over the head.

"Baaaaaka," she replied cheerfully.


	6. Epilogue

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I decided to write an Epilogue to show my appreciation, so here it is.**

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Maka looked down at her pained feet and huffed in frustration; this all seemed oddly familiar to a similar day nearly a year ago. She was once again standing in the Shibusen banquet hall wrapped in a tight black dress that showed all her curves and a pair of uncomfortable heels. Around her, the room pulsed, music causing the floor to vibrate, hypnotic and inviting.

 _'Yes, definitely a familiar feeling,'_ she thought wryly as she recollected the last time the Thompson sisters had convinced Kid to hold a dance. Maka scanned the crowd casually, looking for Tsubaki and Black Star amidst the dancers. This year, Tsubaki had not dragged Maka here; Maka had come of her own volition. It still surprised her how much she had changed since the last time she had been here. Sighing loudly, Maka looked at her pained feet and frowned.

"Thinking of that book you just picked up from the library, aren't you?" a deep baritone whispered into her ear.

"Maybe…" Maka smiled broadly and turned to face Soul.

He was holding out a drink to her, a mischievous, idiotic grin showing off his pearly whites. The music dropped into a relaxing jazz beat, and Soul's grin widened. Putting their drinks down at a nearby table, he reached out a hand to her, "Dance with me?"

Maka took Soul's hand, he pulled her tight, and they flew across the dance floor gracefully. Soul effortlessly guided her through a series of steps, twirls, spins, and dips causing Maka's eyes to widen in surprise with each new movement.

Looking down at her, Soul chuckled at the shocked expression, "What can I say? I'm awesome."

"You learned to dance!" Maka squeaked.

"I might have done it mostly to see how cute you look when mystified." Soul pulled her into another deep dip as the song's final note rang out across the floor. Pulling her to him, he kissed her softly before releasing her.

Maka grinned impishly and ran her hand slowly along Soul's tie to grip his collar. She pulled his head towards her and pressed her lips close to Soul's ear. "Let's take this somewhere a little less PG…"

Soul gulped and pulled to loosen his collar nervously. "Home?" he asked, voice cracking uncontrollably at the 'M'.

Maka turned and grabbed his hand eagerly, tugging him toward the exit.

"Hey Maka?" Soul called as they stepped out into the cool night air together.

"Hmmm?"

He tugged her back gently to face him and looked deep into her emerald depths, "I love you."

Maka smiled softly, "I love you too."


End file.
